Community Comment : TV Fantasy Can Go Too Far : ROBERT DONAHUE, Principal, Las Colinas School, Camarillo

I first heard about the “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers” from a student who was sent to my office for playing inappropriately on the playground. He and a group of second-grade boys had created their own version of the TV show.

It is my understanding that the game they invented involved setting a trap with the ultimate aim of breaking someone’s neck. The boys placed sand on the monkey bar rungs in hopes of causing the enemy to lose his grip and fall.

The kids chose sides, the good guys and the bad guys, and they assumed the names of the characters on the show.

As I was talking to this student, who said he watched the show every day, it became obvious to me that he did not have any concept of what was real and what was not.

Kids usually don’t develop the ability to think abstractly until the third grade. First- and second-graders don’t have the ability to separate real characters from fantasy situations. That’s why I think these kinds of shows are so destructive to a child’s psyche.

After talking to this student, I decided to watch the show to see what it was all about. And, I can understand why it’s so popular. It’s quick-moving. The karate kicks and flips, which are routinely part of the show, appeal to youngsters.

I would like to believe that the show’s writers have some social conscience and would think about the effect they are having on children. And, I also wonder about the people at the Fox TV network.

The show is bad enough, but the network airs commercials for “The Wonder Years,” whose characters routinely call each other “butt-head.” And they promote “Married With Children,” which portrays the father as a boob with a wife and kids who have no respect for him.

In school, we work on building kindness and respect. These shows run counter to everything we do.

Everything we try to do in the classroom comes apart on the playground, when the kids start mimicking what they see on TV.

I think parents have a responsibility to watch what their kids are viewing and talk to them. I’d recommend that they shut the television off. I don’t think kids need to see this stuff.

We all talk about consistency. No wonder the kids are confused. They are getting all these mixed messages.

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Robert Donahue was interviewed by free-lance writer Robin Greene.